26 November 2013

Khadir, who is a political adversary of Benhabib, told Le Devoir that
“certain incendiary statements” by the former PQ candidate created
“such a hostile environment” toward Conradi that, rather than try to
continue speaking to an audience “that clearly didn’t want to listen to
her,” she walked out. “And I walked out, too, in solidarity.”In her defence, Benhabib told Le Devoir that Conradi had been
“disrespectful to me and to the audience when she interpreted the
comments of some participants as perceptions.”So we have apparently reached the point that to refer to someone
else’s beliefs as “perceptions” has become an irresistible provocation
that must be met with booing and heckling.

19 November 2013

The Liberals may go as far as to embrace the recommendation of the 2008 Bouchard-Taylor report on religious accommodations, which recommends a ban on religious symbols for some public servants in position of authority. The Coalition Avenir Québec as well as the Québec Solidaire party support that view, which could mean a common front by the opposition against the PQ minority government.